May sales were down in Japan, and this time around, small kei cars could not bail out their bigger brethren. Imports into the allegedly closed market Japan on the other hand are zooming, despite the weaker yen that makes imports more expensive.

Regular vehicle sales Japan May 2013

Manufacturer

May ’13

May ’12

YoY

YTD ’13

YTD ’12

YoY

Daihatsu

170

225

-24.4%

882

1,273

-30.7%

Hino

2,614

2,952

-11.4%

18,556

17,589

5.5%

Honda

18,318

31,576

-42.0%

129,070

224,113

-42.4%

Isuzu

3,671

3,741

-1.9%

23,561

25,147

-6.3%

Lexus

3,395

3,177

6.9%

18,955

18,782

0.9%

Mazda

13,001

13,193

-1.5%

73,409

75,315

-2.5%

Mitsubishi

3,059

3,486

-12.2%

27,121

26,007

4.3%

Mitsubishi Fuso

2,610

2,740

-4.7%

13,584

14,767

-8.0%

Nissan

33,225

32,927

0.9%

228,969

235,797

-2.9%

Subaru

9,110

5,492

65.9%

56,024

39,922

40.3%

Suzuki

5,836

7,794

-25.1%

35,333

41,468

-14.8%

Toyota

102,735

110,714

-7.2%

641,062

722,695

-11.3%

UD Trucks

660

765

-13.7%

3,335

3,933

-15.2%

Other

20,695

17,584

17.7%

104,258

92,974

12.1%

Total

219,099

236,366

-7.3%

1,374,119

1,539,782

-10.8%

Domestic

193,131

215,552

-10.4%

1,238,022

1,419,531

-12.8%

Imports

25,968

20,814

24.8%

136,097

120,251

13.2%

Data courtesy Japan Automobile Dealers Association

Sales of regular cars were down 7.3 percent. It would have been worse without a helping hand from the gaijin. Imports are up 24.8 percent in May after surging 35.5 percent in April. Quite possibly, buyers of imported cars rush to the showrooms before the weaker yen makes the car more expensive. Sales of domestics are down 10.4 percent. This according to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Sales through May are down 10.8 percent with imports up 13.2 percent.

Mini vehicle sales Japan May 2013

Manufacturer

May ’13

May ’12

YoY

YTD ’13

YTD ’12

YoY

Suzuki

46,889

47,130

-0.5%

264,728

262,107

1.0%

Daihatsu

51,266

55,232

-7.2%

286,410

312,725

-8.4%

Mitsubishi

3,918

6,334

-38.1%

28,043

39,968

-29.8%

Subaru

3,922

4,712

-16.8%

24,242

41,523

-41.6%

Honda

27,126

26,347

3.0%

179,023

131,835

35.8%

Mazda

4,725

3,906

21.0%

24,521

23,861

2.8%

Nissan

7,304

11,421

-36.0%

62,224

73,914

-15.8%

Toyota

3,399

3,496

-2.8%

17,505

16,281

7.5%

Other

0

3

-100.0%

5

19

-73.7%

Total

148,549

158,581

-6.3%

886,701

902,233

-1.7%

Data courtesy Japan Mini Vehicles Association

Sales of minivehicles stopped growing and fell a sympathetic 6.3 percent in May. Kei cars are down 1.7 percent percent for the first five months, the Japan Light Motor Vehicle Association says. Keis hold 40 .4 percent of the Japanese market.

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One Comment on “May Sales in Japan Weak, Imports Strong...”

Except BS left out the fact that “imports” doesn’t necessarily mean non-Japanese brands as the Japanese automakers import certain models from overseas (for instance, Nissan imports the Micra in substantial nos. from Thailand).

Aside from the Germans who have a decent share of the luxury market in Japan, (but still, the Germans do better in Korea which is an overall smaller auto market), there really isn’t much by way of foreign mainstream brands doing well in China.